Perowne Barracks Explained

Perowne Barracks
Type:Barracks
Map Type:Hong Kong
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Hong Kong
Location:Hong Kong
Ownership:Ministry of Defence
Used:1931-1994
Built For:War Office
Occupants:Brigade of Gurkhas

Perowne Barracks is a former British Army barracks in Hong Kong. The barracks are no longer in military use.

History

The barracks, which were established as Tai Lam Military Camp in 1931, were subsequently renamed Perowne Barracks after Major General Lancelot Perowne, Major General of the Brigade of Gurkhas, who were based there.[1] [2] The barracks closed in 1994 as part of the withdrawal of British military presence prior to the handover of sovereignty in 1997.[1] They were then used in the 1990s as living accommodation for the then-Lingnan College, as a training school for the Immigration Department and more recently by the Crossroads Foundation, a charity.[1]

The barracks were used until 2008 as the final checkpoint and finish line for the annual Trailwalker event along the MacLehose Trail. In 2009, the Trailwalker route changed to end in Tai Tong, Yuen Long, however this proved to be only a temporary move.[3] After the southern portion of the barracks facing Castle Peak Road was demolished and the new campus of Chu Hai College of Higher Education was constructed on the same site, it was re-established as the finish line of Trailwalker in 2019.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Historic Building Appraisal. Antiquities Advisory Board. 7 August 2014.
  2. https://www.hongkongfp.com/2015/09/14/half-of-site-used-by-ngo-crossroads-to-be-returned-to-govt-for-housing-project Half of site used by NGO Crossroads to be returned to gov’t for housing project
  3. Web site: 2012 (31st anniversary). https://web.archive.org/web/20110721081754/http://www.oxfamtrailwalker.org.hk/opencms.war/opencms/_info_/about/history.html?__locale=en. dead. 21 July 2011. Oxfam Trailwalker. 7 August 2014.
  4. Web site: Oxfam Hong Kong - Oxfam Trailwalker 2019: New Finish Line and Experts Shared Training Tips at Briefing. 28 October 2019. Oxfam Hong Kong.